Paul Coulter

Title: Where the 'ell is the L? There is no end to it!

I continue in pig heaven with today's fun, challenging puzzle from one of Rich's stable of consistent Friday winners. Very simple theme but it took unraveling HELIOSTAT to get me going in the right direction. I love that the reveal was both tricky and very helpful. It also was a parsing of words that took a skilled eye.


FITNESS,  NEWAGER,  ONESHOT,  SHINDIG, HELIOSTAT, and  MISS ELLIE




17A. Cartoon drawing of Rip Van Winkle?: SLEEPER CELL (10). Cartoons are made up of cels, very different from a terrorist cell whose members work undercover in an area until sent into action, as featured in this TV SHOW. I never heard of it, but I do know this ACTOR from NCIS. Since he has lots of credits, maybe he can replace the awful OD'ed in puzzledom. He really was born in Tel Aviv.

24A. Decoration for a Tinseltown party gift?: HOLLYWOOD BOWL (12). A Bow is a common part of packaging a gist. Since its opening in 1922, the Hollywood Bowl has been the premier destination for live music in Southern California, hosting everyone from Billie Holiday to The Beatles to Yo-Yo Ma under the iconic silhouette of its concentric-arched band shell. It was renovated in 2000.

39A. Dismiss a disobedient film computer?: FIRE HALL (7). In the US and Canada is more commonly called a fire station, but they are the same thing. I like the image of firing this out of control 2001 Space Odessey whose full name is HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) 9000. 

51A. Dixie hospitality, e.g.?: SOUTHERN DRAWL (12). This is fun, I guess it means that hospitality is the reason why people are Drawn to visit the South. 

64A. Allowing use of, as a library does ... or, in three parts, a hint to four puzzle answers:  L ENDING OUT (10). They often are called  Lending libraries; here, however, it the "L" as the ending of each of the theme phrase that comes out. Brilliant!

Across:

1. Spite: VENOM. Isn't there a movie? I still can't believe Stan Lee is gone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=u9Mv98Gr5pY

6. Don't believe it: MYTH. Is as good as a mile?

10. Lying lion in "The Lion King": SCAR.

14. Colleague of Samuel and Sonia: ELENA.
Alito, Sotomayor, and Kagan of the SUPREMES. The clecho, 12D. Colleague of Kagan and Kavanaugh: ALITO. 1st names, then last names.

15. Yorkshire river: OUSE. A CSO to Steve and a challenge as there are 4 rivers in the UK with this name.

16. In fine fettle: HALE. And often hearty unless you are a golfer, then you are just HALE.



19. Camera part: IRIS. Like any eye, it opens and closes. LINK.

20. Blackens: TARS. Meh.

21. "We need to get a cat!": EEK. A cute clue for a mouse.

22. Set off: IGNITE.

27. Seat for a shot: STOOL. In the doctor's office?

30. Piedmont province: ASTI.

31. Orchestral gong: TAM-TAM. I see it written both with and without the hyphen, Chau gong (Tam-tam) The familiar "Chinese" gong is the Chau gong or bullseye gong. Large Chau gongs, called tam-tams have become part of the symphony orchestra. Wiki. This one is made by the same people who make the best cymbals.

33. Salem winter hrs.: PST.

34. Hat-removing event: GUST.

38. Be off base: ERR.

42. Future fish: ROE.

43. "Oliver Twist" type: WAIF.

45. Farm mom: SOW.

46. It may be held or bitten: TONGUE. Generally a good idea.

48. "Insecure" Emmy nominee __ Rae: ISSA. I was not aware of this TV series which she created, produces, writes and stars in much like a modern-day George Burns. She did change the character name from Issa Rae to Issa Dee.

50. Bad looks: LEERS. Deceptive.

57. Dig: TUNNEL.

58. Macabre monogram: EAP. Edgar Allan Poe.

59. Name of two of Henry VIII's wives: ANNE.

63. Massachusetts motto opener: ENSE.  This has appeared very often.

67. First-rate: ACES.

68. Angry: IRED.

69. Busybody: YENTA.

70. Two-time World Series champs: METS.

71. Like falling off a log?: EASY.

72. Boorish: CRASS.


Down:


1. Protective wear, often: VEST.

2. Self-titled 1969 jazz album: ELLA.

3. Poetic negative: NEER.

4. Not to be repeated: ONESHOT.

5. Blueprint: MAP.

6. Culinary mushroom: MOREL.

7. Foul: YUCKY.

8. "Ash Wednesday" poet's monogram: TSE.

9. Device that generates solar power: HELIOSTAT.

10. Bash: SHINDIG.

11. West Indies native: CARIB.

13. Alter with thread: RESEW.

18. Unagi, e.g.: EEL.

23. Nabbed: GOT.

25. Kiddie lit count: OLAF.

26. Clean with soap: WASH.

27. Brood: STEW.

28. Twelve Oaks neighbor: TARA.

29. Katz of "Dallas": OMRI. He played John Ross III. It is an adjoining clecho to help parse...32. Mother of J.R. and Bobby: MISS ELLIE.

33. Row of seats: PEW.

35. Advocate: URGE.

36. Whiskey __: SOUR.

37. Cafepress.com offerings: TEES. And so much more.

40. Big laugh: ROAR.

41. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA.

44. Gym goal: FITNESS.

47. Hard-to-define spiritualist: NEW AGER.

49. Cow, for one: SHE.

51. Cook, as clams: STEAM.

52. Not a heavy weight: OUNCE.

53. Up in the air: UNSET.

54. Bogotá babies: NENES.

55. Family nickname: DADDY.

56. N.Y. engineering sch.: RPI.

60. Actress Gaye of "Ali": NONA.

61. Bar freebies: NUTS.

62. Itinerary info: ETAS.

65. Victorian __: ERA.

66. 9/11 Memorial site: Abbr.: NYC.